Study measures firefighters' racing heart rates

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

Chicago Tribune

AP - BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - An Indiana University study that measured firefighters' heart and breathing rates found that their cardiovascular stress hit peak levels at fires where civilians or other firefighters faced imminent danger.

During one fire, in which firefighters worked to rescue a mother and three children trapped in a burning house, five firefighters had heart rates at or above their predicted maximum for more than 30 minutes, project leader Jim Brown said.

"If I hadn't seen the data myself, I would have a hard time -- as a physiologist -- believing it was true," Brown said.

Researchers hope the findings can help create ways to lower the risk of heart attack among firefighters, The Herald-Times reported. Nearly half of the 100 firefighters who die in the line of duty every year in the U.S. are killed by heart attacks, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

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Link here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-in-firefighters-card,0,4324447.story


David

[beam me up scottie]

1. My heart races every time I walk past my local station.

I've always had a thing for firemen.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

2. You made me blush.

[beam me up scottie]

3. Recently a fire seriously injured two young children, the one-year-old later died from his burns.

Several firemen were injured and at least one was inconsolable, he broke down and cried at the scene.

I'll never forget this image:

I salute you, Dave, and all of your brothers and sisters. :patriot:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

4. I've never lost a kid to a fire.

I had a kid choke to death getting a midnight snack December 19th of 2005. His parents found him laying in the hall. He was in asystole when we arrived. We still worked him but they pronounced him at the hospital shortly after we got him there. He was 8, that's the youngest one I've lost. I've been very lucky. I've lost a bunch of teenagers to motor vehicle accidents and gang violence. Thanks for the good thoughts.

David

[LeftishBrit]

5. Not surprising really; it must be incredibly stressful..

Not just the personal danger but the feeling of responsibility for other people's lives.

I think that emergency service people are among society's true heroes and often much less appreciated than they should be.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

6. Just to be clear I posted this because cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death among FF's.

Year in and year out (2001 is an obvious exception) cardiac arrest and heart attacks are the leading cause of death for firefighters. This statement, " five firefighters had heart rates at or above their predicted maximum for more than 30 minutes, project leader Jim Brown said" is incredible. They give us stress tests after 50 years of age, they make us stay above the predicted maximum for 3 minutes. Then they wonder why we have heart attacks on the fireground a week after we passed a stress test. Very few fire departments have 20 year retirements, here you can leave after 25 years and draw 62.5% of your highest 2 years base salary. I've always said the only reason they let firefighters and police officers keep their pension plans is because they know we'll never use them. Hope that clarifies, I didn't just post this for the personal attention, although it's nice to be appreciated.

David

[beam me up scottie]

7. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread.

I didn't realize that firefighters' retirements were so goddamn shoddy.
What a wonderful way to repay the people who put their lives on the line so they can save our sorry asses.
Even more incredible considering the mental and physical stress and all of the poison you guys ingest during those 20 or so years, it's not like driving a desk.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

8. No worries.

I didn't think it got hijacked just wanted people to know there was a problem.

David

[beam me up scottie]

9. "they worked 24 hours straight followed by 48 hours of free time."

The study also found that volunteer firefighters are at a higher risk for heart attacks than paid firefighters, and that inexperienced firefighters showed more signs of cardiovascular stress than veterans.

Brown said firefighters should perform both aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise, such as weightlifting, to mimic the physical demands of firefighting. He hopes the study will lead to improved fire fighting strategies, such as rotating firefighters more frequently during a blaze.

The study also found that firefighters struggled to get quality sleep because they worked 24 hours straight followed by 48 hours of free time.

Do you know how many firefighters work the 24/48 schedule?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

10. There are a lot of variations.

24 on 48 off, 24 on 24 off plus kelly days, 24 on 24 off for five days then 96 off, 24 on 48 off is probably the most common.

David

[beam me up scottie]

11. Why do they keep making you work such long shifts?

Doesn't that increase your chances of getting injured?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. They have to have sleeping quarters for you.

I have known stations in some cities running up to 30 calls a shift though. I would agree though that fatigue contributes heavily to injuries in any job requiring physical agility.

David

[beam me up scottie]

13. Reminds me of some happy times in the Corps.

Extreme mental fatigue and physical exhaustion was the preferred state, but then again, we weren't being paid to think.

In your experience, how many firefighters quit because they get burned out and/or they believe that their relationships/families cannot withstand the stress? And how many choose to give up their personal life?